The First Presbyterian Church of Swannanoa, founded in 1794, closed its doors for good Sunday.

Church officials said in recent years the congregation dwindled down to just 33 people and there was not enough money to keep the church open.

It happens in a lot of small communities, people move away. There's been lots of tears shed and heart-wrenching moments. It was just something we couldn't avoid any longer," said Betsy Kirschner, a member of the church.

"It does unfortunately come down to the financial aspect of it. Everybody gives what they can, but you can only go in the red for so long," Kirschner said.

"We're the oldest church, as far as the valley is concerned and as far as Buncombe County is concerned," said church historian Jane Connelly Hansel.

Hansel is one of the oldest members of the congregation and said she started coming to the church when she was 7.

She said the look of the church has changed over the years but the ministry and friendships have not.

On Sunday many people with relatives buried in the cemetery next to the church came to a service to mark the church's 220th anniversary. The pews were packed.

"I even said to my husband, 'If this were what it was like every Sunday, this would not be an issue,'" Kirschner said.

"I grew up in this church, my sister and I were baptized here, then we were both married here and we both have children that were baptized here. It really does mark a personal sense of loss for me," Kirschner said.

The church will be sold. It's not yet known what will happen to the building. Regardless, church officials said the approximately 1,700 graves, some dating back to the early 1800s, will be protected.